Abstracts

It is well known in the neurology literature that anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) lead to bone loss. Several large epidemiologic studies have found twice the fracture rate in persons with epilepsy compared to non-epilepsy populations. To date no one has attempted to assess knowledge of osteoprotective behaviors in persons with epilepsy., The Osteoporosis Knowledge Test (OKT), a validated, 24-item test, was administered to 94 epilepsy patients. Kim, et al. developed the OKT to measure knowledge of risk factors for osteoporosis and strategies for prevention related to calcium and exercise., Mean age of participants was 45 years with 20 years of AED exposure. There were 66 females and 28 males of which 50 were Caucasian and 44 were non-Caucasian. No significant differences related to age or gender for the OKT were found. One-way ANOVA of ethnicity found non-Caucasians had much lower knowledge for calcium (F = 8.15, p = .005) and exercise (F = 7.71, p = .007). Those reporting [gt] 12 years of education had higher knowledge scores for calcium (F = 39.25, p = .000) and exercise (F = 17.09, p = .000). Subjects reporting an income above $30,001 had higher levels of knowledge for calcium (F = 3.93, p = .024) and exercise (F = 3.46, p = .037). Subjects who were seizure free [gt] 1 year also had higher knowledge related to calcium (F = 6.76, p = .002) and exercise (F = 3.59, p = .032) compared to those reporting seizures within the last year. Significant differences in calcium knowledge were noted for individuals previously diagnosed with bone loss (F = 4.98, p = .028). In addition, for those reporting a family history of osteoporosis, knowledge was higher for calcium (F = 5.58, p = .005) and exercise (F = 6.23, p = .003). Subjects taking calcium supplements had higher knowledge for calcium (F = 5.35, p = .023) but not for exercise. No significant differences were found based on fracture history., Overall, this study adds to the understanding of patient knowledge related to bone loss in epilepsy. Age and gender appear to have little impact on knowledge related to osteoporosis, compared with socioeconomic factors such as years of education, yearly income and ethnicity. This mirrors what has been found in the medical literature for non-epilepsy populations. One area that may help improve knowledge is the use of culturally relevant education materials. Patient education materials that focus on facts and use medical terms foreign to the general public (disease history, etiology, symptoms, treatment options and side effects) are less effective and tend to be written at a level that exceeds the readability of most patients. Clinically, patients may need to achieve longer term seizure freedom before osteoprotective information can be recommended. Low socioeconomic status may place people at a disadvantage for prevention recommendations.,